On the Fast Path; Speed Training Drills

Teach your players how to be faster, more agile, and less injury prone with these valuable speed drills and concepts.
Article by Vern Gambetta

 

Coaching Management, 8.1, February 2000, http://www.momentummedia.com

 

When we think about training for speed, we conventionally think about players running straight ahead at full speed. But when we think about the movement of baseball players, many other images come to mind—a shortstop moving quickly to his right, a baserunner dashing to steal second, a catcher throwing off his mask and darting to the bleachers for a pop foul.

 

If we take a moment to analyze them, we see that the vast majority of a baseball player’s movements are not in a forward line, but actually involve quick starts and stops. In fact, beyond his hitting and throwing prowess, the key to a baseball player’s success is his ability to start and stop quickly and fluidly. This is also known as lateral speed and agility, or LSA.

 

Just as we can teach a player to become a better hitter, teaching a player to improve his LSA is very possible. All it takes is an understanding of some basic concepts about the subject and implementing the drills that are most effective for the different players’ positions.

 

What is LSA?

Lateral speed and agility is the ability to react to the proper stimulus, start quickly and move in the correct direction, change direction if necessary, and stop quickly to make the play. The goals of LSA training are to: 1) improve quickness; 2) improve body control (keeping the hips over the feet); and 3) prevent injury through proper movement mechanics.

 

The program is based on the concept that fundamental movement skill must precede specific baseball skill. What are fundamental movements? They consist of four broad categories:
Locomotor Skills are those that move the body from one place to another. They consist of walking, running, leaping, hopping, and jumping.

 

Non-Locomotor Skills are movements that involve little or no movement of the base of support (legs and feet). Sometimes called stability skills, they consist of movements like swaying, turning, twisting, swinging, and balancing, all of which are very important to baseball success.

 

Manipulative Skills are movements that focus on controlling objects using primarily the hands or the feet. They are both propulsive (striking, throwing, and kicking) and receptive (catching and trapping).

 

Movement Awareness includes the abilities needed to conceptualize and form an effective response to sensory information in order to perform a specific motor task.

 

These fundamental movement skills are the basis for more complex movements. Complex baseball-specific movements are composed of a series of linked fundamental movement skills. If the players have a rich repertoire of motor skills to draw from, it is easier to acquire baseball skills, and they are less prone to injury because they are prepared for all situations.

 

Along with fundamental movement skills, LSA involves incorporating the following components into your drills:
Reaction: This is the stimulus that triggers the movement. In baseball, it is primarily visual, such as reacting to the ball off the bat or the movement of the base runner. Reaction should be worked on daily because it does not induce any fatigue, it just requires concentration.

 

Starting: Starting to move involves a triple extension of the ankle/knee/hip in order to produce force and get the body in motion. This is a key component of almost all LSA drills.

 

First Step: The goal is to create a positive shin angle in order to produce force and get the body moving in the correct direction with the least effort possible.

 

Drop Step: This is used when it is necessary to move backwards, either diagonally or straight back. The lead foot moves back diagonally or straight back. The push-off is from the back foot.

 

Footwork: This is the ability to move efficiently, lightly, and quickly. Control of gravity and positioning the center of gravity are the major objectives of proper footwork.

 

Change of Direction: Just as the name implies, this is the ability to rapidly stop and reverse direction.

 

Body Awareness/Balance: Control of the center of gravity is key, which essentially means orienting the hips to the base of support.

 

Stopping: Stopping is bending the ankle/knee/hip in order to effectively reduce force.

 

The Wheel Principle

 

All my lateral speed and agility training is based on the Wheel Principle, which is the basis of 3S System™-Sport Specific Speed. The best way to visualize the Wheel Principle is to think of the player as the hub of the wheel, with eight spokes extending off this hub. These eight spokes define the eight different possible directions of movement he may go in. The idea is to train the player in those directions he will be moving the most during competition. For example, outfielders should be working mostly on the directions of spokes 4, 5, 6, and 1; while catchers need to be able to move in all directions of the wheel.

 

The purpose of the wheel drill is to: 1) teach correct mechanics of the stance and first step; 2) develop functional strength in the legs at the correct angles as required by the respective positions; and 3) teach correct stopping mechanics.

 

Correct mechanics of the stance and the first step are the most overlooked element of LSA, but they are critical to improving first step quickness and the ability to move laterally. Also keep in mind that control of the center of gravity begins with a proper stance or starting position.

 

The following are descriptions of the key components of correct stance:

 

Foot Position/Weight Distribution: Toes should be pointed straight ahead with the feet parallel and the weight evenly distributed over the full foot. Somehow, the misconception has arisen that it is necessary to be up on the toes. This is inefficient in that the foot must come back down to the ground to initiate movement—this is a wasted motion, which costs valuable time. The weight should be distributed in a pattern of approximately 75 percent to the forefoot and 25 percent to the rear foot in order to allow multi-directional movement.

 

Base of Support: The base should be about shoulder width apart to facilitate movement in any direction.

 

Angle of Ankle/Knee/Hip: It is important to have proportional flexion (the amount the body angle is bent) at the ankle, knee, and hip so that on first movement the center of gravity is projected in the proper direction, not up or down. The ability to achieve this position will vary with strength, flexibility, and, to a certain extent, body proportions.
Trunk Inclination: A slight forward angle is desirable so that the chest is just over the knees. The angle of the trunk should form a parallel line with the shins.

 

Head Position: The head should be in line with the torso and stay in that position. Moving the head significantly can have a profound effect on the center of gravity and a negative effect on balance. In baseball, the position of the head is especially important to provide a stable platform for the eyes to track the ball.

 

Arm and Hand Position: The arms and hands should be positioned to aid in the first movement.

 

It is also important to understand the mechanics of the first step. The first step should be of appropriate length in order to create a positive shin angle and properly apply force against the ground. A positive shin angle entails the foot hitting slightly behind the center of gravity—thereby allowing the large powerful hip extensors to work. A negative shin angle is created by a long first step in which the foot is relatively far in front of the center of gravity—this forces the player to try to pull himself over the foot and is not an advantageous position for force production.

 

The direction of the first step must be in the intended direction so that the player can gain, not lose, a step. The most common footwork error is the false step or mis-step. This occurs when the player steps back before stepping forward or otherwise steps away from the intended direction of movement.

 

The type of first step is determined by the distance of the required movement:

 

Crossover Power Step: This is appropriate when the distance to be moved is relatively great, such as a runner stealing second. The lead foot remains stationary and the back foot crosses over the lead foot. The push-off is from the original lead foot.

 

Open Step: This is appropriate when the distance to be moved is short or a quick reaction is required, such as moving toward a ground ball. The lead foot steps out with the push-off from the back foot.

 

Jab Step: This can also be used when the distance is short and a quick reaction is required, such as a catcher blocking a pitch. This is a backward movement of the lead foot relative to the center of gravity.

 

Developing LSA Skills

 

How should these movement skills be developed? The optimum order of development is to first learn the movement without any regard to speed. Then increase the speed of the movement while paying particular attention to maintaining the precision of the movement. The third step is to change the movements or do them under slightly different conditions. Then, finally, follow with baseball skills based on the movement skill.

 

With regard to the wheel drill, the protocol goes like this: Start with a one-step drill to work on first-step position and direction, which is the key to first-step quickness. Once that is mastered, progress to a three-step wheel drill, which works on starting. From there, progress to a five-step wheel drill with the emphasis on putting it all together and the key being stopping. Once the five-step wheel drill is mastered, then add the ball and rehearse the patterns of motion that are specific to each position (See Sidebar at end, “Wheel Drill Protocol”).

 

Another important consideration in designing drills is the idea of “game speed.” As soon as the drills are taught and mastered, then they have to be practiced at the speed you’d do them in a game situation. Practicing slower, in predictable patterns of motion, will lead to what is referred to as a speed barrier. The nervous system becomes used to the same stimulus, which in this case is slow. Then, when called upon to react and move faster, the nervous system is incapable of doing so because the slow pattern has been ingrained.

 

The best time to do movement drills is at the beginning of practice. Every day, the drills should progress from fundamental movement skills leading to baseball specific movements. This allows the drills to be used as a warm up—players are both warming up and practicing skills at the same time! It also means drills will be done while the athlete is fresh, which allows optimum results.

 

The total time devoted to LSA drills should be about 15 to 20 minutes per day. Choose three to five drills daily (see Sidebar at end, “Sample Drills”), always including the wheel drill as one of them. Be sure to allow enough rest between drills so that quality is maintained, and always remember to have your athletes learn to execute the action correctly, then add the speed component.

 

Sidebar - SAMPLE DRILLS

 

Here are some specific activities to help to improve LSA:

 

Jump Rope: This is perhaps the most basic of all LSA improvement activities. A lost skill among the younger athletes of today, jumping rope works hand/foot and hand/eye coordination. It is best to develop a routine that the player can use daily as a warm-up for other footwork drills. A basic routine is: double leg jumps, stride jumps, crossover jumps, single leg jumps, and finish with combinations. You can do these in a series with a prescribed number of jumps for each exercise or for a set time period for each exercise.

 

ABC™ Ladder: This is a great footwork tool that does much of the teaching for you. It is an apparatus that looks like a ladder placed on the ground. The player is challenged and rewarded by correct technique. The key to using the ladder effectively is to understand that the goal is optimum speed, which is defined as speed that can be controlled. There is a tendency on these drills to go too fast which results in the athlete being out of control and unable to finish a drill. The emphasis should be on getting the feet back down to the ground quickly.
Ball Drop: The partner stands an appropriate (for the level of ability) distance away. The partner drops the ball from head height. The player executing the drill must react and catch the ball before the second bounce. Make the drill more difficult by lowering the distance of the drop or moving farther away.
Z Ball: This is a small rubber ball with round protrusions that cause the ball to take unpredictable bounces. An athlete can work solo against a wall or with a partner. It is very challenging!
Low Box Quick Step: Use a four-inch high box of sturdy construction approximately 30 inches square. Step on and off the box as quickly as possible. Continue the drill until the rhythm falls off. The drills can be done straight ahead, side to side, or with a combination of boxes.

Sidebar - WHEEL DRILL PROTOCOL

 

One-Step Drill

 

Three- and Five-Step Drill

Position-Specific Emphasis

 

Catchers: Start in a catching stance. Simulate throwing off the mask on spokes 4, 5, and 6 as in pop fly situations.

Use spokes 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 for blocking ball simulations.
Middle Infield: Emphasize spokes 3, 7, 1, 2, and 8 in that order.
First Base: Emphasize spokes 1, 3, 7, and 6 in that order.
Third Base: Emphasize spokes 1, 7, 3, and 4 in that order.
Outfield: Emphasize spokes 4, 5, 6, and 1 in that order.
Pitchers: Emphasize spokes 1, 3, and 7 in that order.
Baserunners: Emphasize spokes 2, 3, and 7, in that order.